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Avoid This Brand! 'Makeover Essentials'

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Images from Makeover Essentials Website (edited)

Last week I was having a bit of a browse around my local town centre, and walked past a stand that was showing makeup. I'm not a fan of people selling me things on the street, but I did try to have a sneaky look as I walked past- however I must have just looked like a walking target to the sales girl and I was quickly roped in (damn my British politeness!) The initial way they get you when you're walking past is by holding out a bag saying 'have you had your free makeup goodie bag yet?' I automatically knew it was too good to be true, but as soon as eye contact had been made there was no easy way of getting out of it. Being a beauty blogger with quite a good understanding of makeup I quickly caught onto the lies she was telling me, and after the presentation I managed to make my excuses and leave without parting with any cash. Once I got home and did some research on the brand I was even more disappointed in them, and I wanted to share my experience of Makeover Essentials. As soon as they rope you in and you're stood there holding one of their bags the lies begin:

A quick skim over the products told me that this was the most misleading statement ever. This annoyed me right off the bat; I might be familiar with makeup and could see what a blatant lie this was, but there are plenty of regular non-blogging makeup lovers out there who are potentially going to assume the brand is better than it is based on these claims. Makeover Essentials make very basic, mass produced products in factories in China. For reference, cheap eBay makeup and MUA's £1 range in Superdrug perform better than this. I have had Makeover Essentials sales reps commenting on this post still claiming that they are made by Estee Lauder/ Mac. Estee Lauder is the parent company to Mac and a number of other brands (the full list can be seen HERE) it is NOT associated in any way with Makeover Essentials.

LIE 2:This Illuminator Is Just Like One By Mac, But Lasts Seven Years

Firstly Mac do no such product, my thoughts were if you're going to throw around names of high end brands at least have your facts right? Also NO makeup should be used for seven years, not only will that little illuminator last a year max of regular use- even if it didn't makeup expires way before the seven year mark! She kept emphasising the 'soft' bristles, when frankly they felt very rough, and to top it all off the colour looked terrible on me- dark gold speckles on my pale hand.

LIE 3:Makeover Essentials are a High End Brand and Coming to Department Stores

Makeover Essentials are absolutely NOT a high end brand, nor are they coming to department stores (for anyone who doesn't know, department stores only sell 'high end' makeup brands- so things like Chanel, Mac, Estee Lauder etc). They present themselves as a new brand coming from the US (or say they're coming from Europe to people in the US) when really they've been around for years selling makeup from their shady little stalls. Reviews as far back as early 2013 show that people were being told Makeover Essentials will be coming to department stores, and it's fair to say that they still have not (or ever will) grace the shelves of Debenhams. Quality wise, as I've mentioned you can get far superior products from budget highstreet brands. The palettes are low quality, contain cheap filler ingredients such as talc and mineral oil and lack in pigmentation. Plus the fact that they've put a mix of cream and powder products in one palette of course leads to dark eyeshadow sprinkles all over the cream lipsticks. The brushes were possibly the worst thing I was shown and really were a joke- literally like something you'd find in a child's play makeup kit. Completely the wrong shape, way too small and overall truly useless.

LIE 4: The Goodie Bag is Worth £200+ But You Only Pay £35 as It's One Of The Last Ones

The kicker- the final lie and the way they get you to part with your cash is tell you that the goodie bag- (the one that they've ALREADY put in your hands, pressure selling or what) is worth £200+ and is 'free' when you buy the £35 illuminator brush they showed you in the beginning. Just for reference here, Avon used to do something similar that cost about a fiver and even BareMinerals (which is a high end brand) version is only £22. Part with that £35 for the illuminator and you get the 'free' goodie bag which contains the awful palette, the useless brushes, another equally rubbish travel palette and a book of generic 'makeup tips'. In all honesty, the value of everything in that bag can't be more than £10. They tell you the reason you're offered this 'fantastic' deal is because there are only a couple of bags left, and/or it's the end of the day. This is a LIE, a way to trick you into thinking you're getting a great deal for being in the right place at the right time. I've worked in sales in the past and am well aware that a company is going to present their product in a way that's attractive, but misleading people is extremely unfair. Had the sales rep just been upfront and said 'it's £35 for this bag of makeup, here's what's inside' then that would have been fine (still an absolute rip-off but at least you know where you stand) but instead the whole thing was very sneaky.

I've contacted Makeover Essentials and stated how I was disappointed with the sales tactics that were used, the brand wasn't presented in a transparent way and I feel as though they're lying to their potential customers. Even if this would have been a good brand selling high quality products (which it's not) I still would have felt the same way- the sales tactics are shady and you're basically being deceived. You're being tricked into buying really rubbish, low quality products under the pretence that they're as good as the high end brands mentioned in the pitch- when they absolutely are not. Any self respecting brand doesn't need to con you into buying their stuff. If you ever spot a stand with someone selling makeup from this brand bear in mind that they'll tell every lie necessary to get you to part with that £35, it's scammy and dishonest. The bag of makeup isn't free, they're not a high end brand, they're not going to be sold in department stores and the fact that you're offered a goodie bag isn't some wonderful coincidence because you're in the right place at the right time. Every person that the sales team speak to are offered the same thing, and that £35 illuminator just paid for the products in that bag three times over.

awful isn't it :( I knew I was being lied to throughout the presentation, but only realised the extent of it when I got back and saw the way they make people think the goodie bag is a one off deal. Hopefully this stops at least one person out there from getting ripped off! x

The products were definitely bad quality, that horrible little brush set was supposedly £40 odd pound?! I hate it when cosmetics companies shove creams and powders into one palette anyway, and the 'illuminator' was more like an overly shimmery bronzer on me. Not one thing was right about it all lol x

They came in my shop today please bare in mind I own a florist. So I can only presume she was expecting a woman to come out. She started off insulting me. As a man I have no interest in dodgy make "for friends or family Christmas gifts" I didn't like the look of the shity brush with the make up in the other end. I told her I wasn't interested I'm make up and had no money. She tried to sell me the bag for £38? It seems they will sell this shit for any price you think they will fall for. I recommended the hair salon next door and she brushed it off she had been in there. Here we have lots of dodgy sellers mattresses, stolen , jewellery , vacuum sellers, to to mention the dodgy romanians with dodgy £20 notes and stealing property from businesses. So when she came I'm I knew it was a sales call.

I had the like about them having a stand in Selfridges. Been a top brand ect ect. I've got to say there wasn't a touch of class about the makeup like I would expect for the prices quoted. In the end I told here to get out and I wasn't interested. After 30 minute of having my time wasted and her boring me into a comma.

That's the thing that worried me, the way she was stating that they were comparable with high end brands like it was fact. If you're not a blogger constantly reading and reviewing brands then you're probably not going to challenge it x

I rarely see stands like this at least the city where I live, it's a wonder they haven't been reported by now. Surely it's not legal to tell customers lies to make themselves sound better than they are, but they must have found ways around it x

It really grates on me when sales people do this, I was once convinced into buying a £20 nail care kit only to find it on eBay for a fiver! You should have confronted the woman when she told you all those blatant lies, damn our British politeness! Haha

wow really, how do these people sleep at night knowing they're so clearly ripping people off? I once heard of a guy who bought a load of perfumes for £10 each from a stall just to find them in the pound shop a week later! Lol I know I'm far too polite for my own good, on the outside I was smiling on the inside I was thinking what a liar haha. Then again I didnt realise the full extent of it until I got home and read about the lies with the goodie bag x

Oh they sound like an awful company. Comparing their products to high end brands like such is just desperate. I like how the shimmery powder is £35 over here but if you look at the American Website it's $19.99 which is just over £12. Total rip off.

Like you said if they were more honest in their approach they'd get more sales, saying "you can get all of this for £35" makes it sound more appealing than "buy this for £35 and got all this free..." maybe it's because I'm a blogger and would definitely not pay £35 for the Shimmer from an unknown brand.

Exactly, I can't for the life of me think what evidence they're basing the idea that they're comparable to a high end brand on. I've seen it on the American website too and reviews from U.S girls saying how they'd paid $20 for it, I wouldn't even say it was worth that let alone the £35 price tag they're trying to whack on it over here. If you think that £35 could buy a Chanel product, it puts in perspective just how silly it is for them to try and charge that for a standard little brush thats probably worth a fiver x

Companies resort to any tactic to sell their products. We have a few based in our country that claim that they are either from the USA or France. But when you sit down to Google you wont find one International blogger talking about it. Forget that, they dont even a proper website and in one the price is given in our currency. People get fooled by the tags and claims whereas a little research would help them a lot. In today's internet savvy age it boggles the mind how some dont even bother to find information that will eventually help them...

There's a lot of these makeup stalls in my local shopping centres & there all a total rip off. I feel sorry for the people who actually believe there lies & buy the product, if your not really into makeup & brands you will believe the sales person. It's awful.Maybe Its Megan Leigh xx

I really hate brands that do this. I've come across a few of them and, if I'm honest, I wouldn't have even taken the stuff if it was free because it all looked so cheap. They really need to realise that even if some people fall for the tactics, they won't be impressed by the products at all and will slate them anyway xx

Thank you for writing this post. That's so sneaky!Their products look completely crap and frankly, I have seen similar looking products in those preteen birthday party goody bags. Clearly these salespeople know far more about lying and swindling trusting people who perhaps unfortunately know quite little about makeup, than they do about makeup and quality.I bet my entire makeup collection that their staff wouldn't use these products on a day to day basis!

Hopefully the company will respond and more people will stay clear. If not for the shoddy quality, then the sneaky lies.

That is completely horrible. How do these people live with themselves after screwing people over like that?!?! I'm so mad! It's terrible for those people who don't know and who get sucked in... ughhh that's just so infuriating that people do this! Thanks for reporting this - I'm positive you saved a bunch of people from getting roped in by those scumbags.

It drives me mad when companies think that aggressive sales is the way forward, I prefer to browse in peace and let the products do the talking. I hate being bombarded with information by pushy sales assistants.

Thanks for this post, just makes me sad that some people will get sucked in my the spiel and part with their cash for a sub standard product.

Ooh now funny you wrote this post as. Be come across similar here in London where they do the exact same thing. I asked the sales rep if the brand contained essential oils, were they tested on animals and all sorts of questions she couldn't answer... I'd never buy from these types of sales pitches xx

I'm not a fan of sneaky either, and like you said, if they'd have been upfront from the get-go it would have been okay! I hope you get an answer, I suspect if you do though, it will be canned. It seems businesses who deal this way are not prone to honest customer service either.

OMG, we have these same kiosk products (and relentless SAs) at the malls here in California, too! Honestly, the makeup looks like the junky stuff that get released at the drugstore for $5 for a palette of 300 products, every Christmas season. I wouldn't be surprised if they were manufactured at the same factory in China somewhere.

I had the chance to speak to one of those kiosk SAs once (hers sold hair curling irons, but they all pretty much had the same bosses), and said that they worked 100% on commission; if they didn't sell anything, they didn't get paid. Hence, the pushiness. I'm not sure about the law regarding this in the UK, but apparently it is totally legal here. But, yes, I would have been so irritated if they had tried to push these MU on me, while making the same claims that they made to you.

Well done you for exposing this shameful company for what they are. Companies like this are trying to make money out of the less informed amongst us, which also includes boyfriends and husbands I guess! I bet that you will never get a reply from this scam-shack, but if you do, I'd love to hear what rubbish they tell you.

Luckily, I've never experienced something like this. I think it's freakin' AWESOME that you sent them your thoughts on it though. Good for you! I agree... totally not cool to completely misrepresent yourself/company. I can't stand that!!!!

This is terrible! I always do my best to avoid random sales people in the street, I hate to be rude but I will ignore them. I learnt my lesson after about 3 years ago when a man roped me in to a conversation for about 10 minutes about getting a makeover and photo shoot and literally wouldn't let me get a word in edge ways, he actually asked me for my credit card on the street to take a £50 payment for a makeover and shoot "worth £200" I told him I wasn't interested and he had the cheek to tell me I could've told him sooner! xx

A similar thing happened to me a few years ago. I moved into a flat and my neighbour was selling make-up by Victoria Jackson, a company I had never heard of. But he was telling me that it was a new brand, coming to all the department stores and was comparable to all these high-end brands. I bought some being a make-up newbie and because of the awkwardness of the situation. It was such a waste of money. It never went into a department store and when I looked online I realised it was just a con.

I have to be honest, I am so rude to these people as they annoy me so much. As I say to them, if I wanted your product I would go into a reputable shop and look at it there. I've seen so many of my friends get roped into these sorts of things, so I step in and stop them now as I can't have them ripped off right in front of me!!Thank you for sharing!! Tania xx

I was conned into something similar although by an actual reputable salon - I had my eyebrows done and was offered a quad of eyeshadows (unbranded might I add) for filling in brows 'for just £10!'. Being young at the time I thought wow what a great deal it must be good if the salon use it - and they were all terrible. I've since spotted palettes identical for the £3-4 mark and looking back felt very stupid. I had already paid a lot of money to get my eyebrows done there as it was something similar to HD brows and thought I could trust the place. Horrible people.

Sounds like the Royale hair straightener tactic across malls in the USA, they claim to be just as good as GHD or Chis and around the same price or more, it's merely a tourist scam by enticing you in with compliments and free samples. And they don't leave you alone - scary!

Thank you so much for this post. I was also too slow in avoiding eye contact and got roped in by the sales pitch. She was very nice and friendly and said all the things you mentioned in your blog. Probably was very happy I don't use make up daily; even though I was aware of brands like Mac and Bobbi Brown, I was definitely not a discerning customer. She persuaded me that even if I don't use everything in the 'free gift bag' I could always give it to a friend or relative. So I parted with my £35 and came home with my goodies. But like you, I noticed it was made in China. Even though I thought I had looked closely for Parfum( which I can't have in skin products) I had somehow missed that it was made in China and that the illuminator powder had Parfum in its ingredients.

After reading your blog, I was determined to return the products.How could I have been so easily seduced by the packaging and her lovely ,helpful comments(lies)? I went back to the store where they were promoting the products. The lady,the colleague and the supervisor were not there today and the stand was manned by a senior 'manager' and another sales person. I just said that I bought the products yesterday and wanted to return them for a refund as I had changed my mind and the illuminator powder was not suitable for my skin. The manager gave me back my £35 straight away without any quibble. I didn't even get a receipt yesterday for my purchase which made me a bit worried about their refund policy. The guy only asked who sold it to me and luckily in conversation, I had the lady's name and nationality and was able to show that I purchased it from the company.

This has reminded me that even in these times,one has to be wary of all these scams. Hard earned money going to products that might not work/are not worth the expense is such a travesty.Buyer beware. thanks again for your heads up. For something that goes onto the skin,I'd definitely be buying from reputable companies from now on.

I used to work for a company who sold this brand when I was at uni (so coming up for a year ago now). It's sold by third party sales companies who only have to pay for whatever stock they sell and the sales people work entirely on commission. They receive £5 for every 'goodie bag' sold (their 'manager' receives £25, the rest goes back to Makeover Essentials. Also they sometimes give you additional items to sell, of which anything you pay over £5 goes straight into the sales persons' pocket. They do not initially tell the staff that they are telling lies to customers, this is something you have to work out for yourself. They also make you work from about 7am in the morning until 8pm at night, 6 days a week (I onlyworked 3 because of uni). The whole thing is so unbelievably shady I am almost entirely certain it isn't legal. Also having used the make up, you'd be better off going to Superdrug and buying off the MUA counter. This brand WILL NOT be going into any department stores, is really bad quality and makes me feel a bit ill that I used to sell it. :( Sorry to anyone who has been fooled by nasty people desperate to take some money home from a horrible day at work!

That's very nice of you to offer apologies..we all know how hard it is to make a living these days. It's really the company's fault for trying to sell below average products for an above average price and they should be the one apologising. The manager who refunded my money had a thick wad of 20s from which he peeled off my hard earned money. If he had said I could not return the products, I would have gone to the management of the store where the stand was to complain about the company.

The girl who sold me the goodie bag was really good at her job; she tried also to sell me a set of makeup bags that could be be used for a a variety of purposes but the price was quite steep. I do realise she will undoubtedly lose her commission from my purchase but there's nothing I can do about it. Just before I left the stand, I had asked her if the sales were commissioned based and she said they were not and she just gets a salary. I didn't believe that of course but the way she behaved left me feeling a little uneasy which was why I went on the internet to check on the brand when I got home.

I think I would have no problem if the goods were genuinely worth the money to buy from a commission based company. Thank you for your honesty.best wishes.

I stupidly got dragged in by a girl in my town selling this stuff yesterday. I rarely buy make up and I'm never drawn in by these types of people but it had been on my mind to buy some eyeshadow. I was in a rush and thought if I let her talk quickly I could get it out of the way. But before I knew it, I had an arm full of "free goodies" and then asked if I wanted to bigger palette for 39.99. I had said yes without realising.

I'm going back up town today to bring it back. After testing the products yesterday, they're akin to something my 7 year old daughter has up in her bedroom. Those really light pinky lip shimmers and eyeshadows that barely leave a mark. Awful stuff.

I only hope I don't have a fight on my hands having used the sponge to test the stuff out. And here's hoping, the stall is actually still there.

I must admit, I'm pretty good with sales people usually, but this girl was excellent at her job. Haha. Silly me.

Actually, I bought this £35 bag on Friday, at the M6 toll services! I knew she was full of rubbish, but I am actually actively trying out as much different make up as I can before my wedding next year - so took a gamble. I have really sensitive skin, and as such I rarely wear "full" face make up (usually just a bit of eyeshadow and some lipgloss). I was willing to take the gamble though (and I knew I wasn't getting anything "for free"), so I guess that makes a difference! As it happens, I can wear their make up with no irritation (thus far) - even the mascara! I have worn the face powder, bronzer/shimmer stuff, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, lip colours and mascara all day for the last 4 days, with no ill effects - and even a bunch of compliments! It seems to work for me, and I'm not a make up junkie so I don't mind that it's all in little plasticky palettes etc. However if you know your stuff, I'm sure it's one to avoid. For me it worked out, that's all I'm saying!

hi from america. i was duped by them too. i paid 20$ for stupid makeup removing wipes and got two totally awesome top quality paletes for free. smh. this crap retails on their site for 50$ usd. i could have used that 20 towards this lovely smash box pallete i was eyeing... but seeing as how these MEN who sold it to me (and i dont judge bc they're men- but they were clearly NOT wearing their product..) conveniently didnt have business cards so i dont know if a refund is possible. smells like plastic looks like dollar store kids makeup. ok thats not fair bc its not all pasteles and bright blue eyeshadow hues. dollar store TWEEN makeup.

Thanks so much for writing this! They came around to my door today and said it was a one day amazing deal and reading this, I'm so glad I didn't fall for it or it'd be £40 down the drain. They literally said exactly the same to me as they said to you

I (sadly) worked for this company for about a month last year as I had been on Jobseekers Allowance and thought I'd hit the jackpot actually finding a job and I can now say it is a complete scam, we worked 12 hour days (starting at 7.30 in the morning and supposedly finishing at 7.30 at night but this was usually 8 or later) 6 days a week, only having Sundays off and it was completely commission based so basically we would only earn money if we sold make-up, I don't want to say where I was working incase I end up getting in trouble somehow but we also had to drive to wherever we were sent to sell the make-up (sometimes up to 45 mins away from the office) and got given no petrol money, where I worked we were given forms to fill out and sort out our own national insurance and tax as apparently 'we were classed as self employed' even though we were just selling their products but none of the employees had filled out these forms and told me not to bother as then I'd have to pay tax and stuff (so basically none of them are paying tax or have a tax code or anything and are working completely cash in hand which was paid at the end of each day, which is obviously illegal) I'm so glad you guys have seen through the lies that their employees are taught to tell, we were given initial training and taught to reference brands such as Bobbi Brown, MAC, Estee Lauder in order to make people think that what we were selling was comparable but it so obviously isn't else it would be in every department store surely ? We were also taught to say refills and the like were available online which they weren't, say that the whole bundle is worth £180 pounds which it isn't and to hide goody bags so we only have a limited amount on display to try and pressure people into buying 'one of the last ones' as I said I only stayed with the company for a month as I started to see what a scam it was and quit mostly because I actually have some sort of morals

I want to kill myself. I was at WalMart and when I came out, this lady came to me and told me that she was selling some high end makeup. She said it was the "weekly essential kit" with "makeup cleansing cloths" and that on retail stores, they sell those for $90. I'm just an 18year old boy. I know nothing of makeup. I thought to myself that it was a great deal and that my mom would love it. They also offered me another bag for free. So basically, I spend $20 on two bags of makeup. Now I'm reading this and I'm mad for buying some horrible makeup for my mom. NEVER AGAIN.

Ditto all of the above comments and shame on you TESCO for allowing these people to commit this scam in your stores. Makeover Essentials also don't tell you that their products are made in CHINA, as are plastic children's TOYS, which is what these make up sets are. This is a rip off don't get caught out as I did... I think I'm going to contact BBC's watchdog, Ann Robinson will see them off, I hope.If others can contact Watchdog as well perhaps they will follow it up and some of us can get our hard earned cash refunded. Well done Stacey for highlighting this!

I agree with the sketchy sales tactic and such, they also come into salons and try to sale things to the stylist to retail "at a discounted price" and I did buy one bag for $10 but honestly guys, it's one of my favorite things in my make up bag (which consist a lot more of department store brands rather than expensive make up so I am not comparing it to Mac or anything of the sort) I like it just as much (maybe more, and I will explain why) as my other stuff and I've tried a lot of department store and some higher end brands, and it works just as good on my combination skin when paired with my basic make up setting spray by E.L.F (which I LOVE and only paid like $3 or less for!) and the compact I got has everything I need to do a basic every day look on the go, so when I only have the five minutes I'm stuck in line at the bank drive through is the only time I have to put something on my face before facing the world and running the rest of my errands or whatever its right there, in my purse and my look is in great colors, easy blended and set and good for the day. So, I agree they definitely shouldn't compare it to Mac but I do not think it's crap by any means!

Three young (college-age) reps came into our office this morning. They create quite a fluster and stir with their loud banter and pitching this and that. And "made in the same factory as Bobbi Brown" quoting all over the place. When I asked, "where are these products made?" the rep at my desk shrugged. "I have no idea!" However, because I felt like trying something new, I purchased the first set of whatever it is, and received the wipes, lip gloss pots and something else, too, for "free."

I rarely - and I mean once every ten years rarely - fall for dog and pony shows (which this obviously was). But I liked the workday distraction and so indulged myself. For $20, it is a cheap (very) thrill. ;)

Don't be angry with people for how they pitch their wares.Use better discernment next time.

Hi Stacey!Thank you so much about this blog, it saved my sister and I some serious money! I wrote about my experience and referenced your blog here at http://hhollyrreed.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/watch-out-sneaky-shopper-snagging-sales.html

We experienced exactly this! Even after saying we didn't have the money with us, she wouldn't stop talking at us - it was extremely irritating and it's a miracle we managed to get away from the shady saleswoman!- Paris @ Cosmetchttp://cosmetc.blogspot.co.uk/

I got caught in Rugby today, fortunately didn't buy any.They were offering 4 "free" goody bags with each illuminator. AND, they'd knocked the price down to £29. It's such cheap rubbish. I could feel myself coming out in a rash just looking at it!I want to contact someone to take them off the street but don't know where to start.

lol i just wrote about his on twitter, this brand are advertising in arndale market in manchester a woman stopped me saying do u want 100 pound worth of makeup for free so i said sure then she started showing me some shit bronzer which i would have to pay 30 pound for lmao i was embaressed for her because i know more about makeup then she ever will so i said im not interested and walked away. When she wiped the bronzer stick on my hand nothing came out lmao scammers. not to mention she was so pushy and i was just laughing in my head while looking at her cheap ass makeup

Ugh. I want my friends $45 CAD back for her.. They came into my work office and bombarded myself & my coworker with info. I usually like to do my research but my coworker bought me a bag & was sooo sweet about it. boo.

So, I definitely am kicking my self, and I definitely agree with some of these comments-damn our British politeness! I was at the shopping centre and was sort of bombarded by this seemingly really nice lady trying to clue me in on this amazing deal. She was trying really hard to pitch this amazing deal to me so I thought I should hear her out. And finally I managed to get away without parting any money. But then (partly because I how nice the lady way) I stupidly went back and bought it because you were paying '£29.99 for a bag of makeup worth hundreds'. I went home to open this amazing makeup and found it to be really kind of tacky and like a child's make up set. Not worth the money! I feel completely and utterly ripped off!!

I fell for this 4/5 years ago. I think the company went by a different name back then. They approached me today in Surrey Quays shopping centre. I was being polite for about 5-10 minutes. I had already explained that I can't afford to live, so especially can't afford to buy makeup. I said my final "no!" and then the pushy salesman became quite rude to me. I went on to have a panic attack in the car park because of this. Thanks pushy salesman, you made my day pretty rubbish!

Makeover Essentials? More like MakeSHIT Essentials. I was conned into buying a makeup gift bag for $22 USD including tax. Allegedly, it originally is $75. HA. And the guy told me that they were mentioned in Cosmo. LIES. I then luckily stumbled across his colleague 15 minutes later to try to return it. She looked super guilty when I asked to return it and told me to do it through the company. Later, I threw away the makeup because I don't want to return it just so I can pay $5+ for shipping and for them to get my information.

I nearly fell for this. I was nobbled in my local mall today and fell for the patter initially. I was informed that the product was hypo allergenic - whatever that means.... I purchased it - googled it and promptly returned it. Box wasn't marked hypo allergenic despite the sales lady telling me it was. I had a bad feeling about it and when I saw the comments returned it pronto. In fairness they did refund me in full but not a pleasant experience. That'll teach me a lesson. If it's too good to be true then it probably is.

They were flogging this crap outside WH Smiths in Manchester Arndale Centre yesterday.

EXACTLY the same patter as written in your article. I didn't take up his offer of "taking all three goodie bags" because the product looked cheap, he was TOO PUSHY, he told me the product was vegan friendly, but I noticed BEESWAX as an ingredient. He also told me the kabuki brush (ick, so nasty) came with a leather pouch. I doubt it was leather, but I'd been emphasising that I only bought vegan products. He didn't like me asking questions or handling the products.

I asked where the planned department store counter would be and he replied Selfridges, Harvey Nichols. Hahaha.

Shopping centres need to check this company out, because the hard sell for these appalling items is out of order.

I found your blog when I searched for information about this company because I was actually going to complain about their sales techniques to the company, but I won't bother. It's not like they're going to listen if it's been going on for so long.

I hope people can be saved from their hideous cosmetics by finding your article.

So they are still puhing their products with the SAME LINE! You wrote this article two years ago, and unfortunately, they're still getting away with it. One of their sales reps, (a relatively well dressed woman in her......late 20s?) came into a Micheal's craft store where I work, walked right up to the register like a customer who needed help, and said "hey girl! Did you get one of these yet?" *puts the bag right in my hand* "$200+ deal, only $20 because it's the last one, blah blah blah..." I managed to get her down to $15, but still fell pray to being the now sad owner of some crappy makeup. She even saw an extra dollar in my wallet and stared at me till I gave her all of it. Ouch! Not happy. Wish I had seen this article sooner.It may have been too late for me, but thanks anyways for trying to warn people. Hope this helped in some small way.B.

A few days ago this happened to me. I felt to deep into the sale that I could back out with out being rude. I looked towards my partner and asked, it was £30 and we did it, I said to my partner I will pay him back in a few days time. Got back and felt really happy because I love make up but now reading this I can't believe I was so easily sold. This will be my last 'selling on the street' product. I might even contact someone. I paid for the lies. If I had seen this somehow I would not even paid and walked into the shop I was actually going to get my money's worth.

I was roped into this exact sales pitch a couple of years ago and ended up buying the "goodie bag" because I was too awkward and shy to deny it after they'd already handed it to me. I still have the palette, horrid travel thing, and little book (which I never even bothered to look through) in a draw somewhere. They didn't even tell me I had to pay for it until after they'd shown me everything & even tried to sell me another 2, saying they'd be perfect gifts for friends and family! I feel so ripped off as I didn't even know that the company was so sketchy.

I feel utterly stupid and really upset with myself. I was tired, walked into the Motorway service station between Leeds and Doncaster and feel for it hook line and sinker. Worst of all is that I have a v low income and couldn't afford the purchase but felt old and run down and needed something which I thought would make me feel better. I questioned them on whether the make up was from China where it is mandatory to test on animals, and another sales woman came over and interrupted the salesman and said only the packaging was made in China but the make up was made in the same factory as MAC in California. I now know this was an out and out lie and it is highly illegal. Does anyone know how I can return the product? They also charged me for using a debit card which is unusual too. All the salespeople were young and said they were from Leeds. They should be ashamed.

Really sorry that so many of you have been duped with this sales pitch, and that this is still going on almost two years later :( I've emailed Makeover Essentials and they take no responsibility for this which is an utter joke, they told me that they just make the products and are not responsible for the sellers who are technically 'self employed'. I urge anyone affected by this to complain to Makeover Essentials too and consider contacting a consumer watchdog or trading standards. It sounds as though people have been successful returning the products, so it's always worth going back to where you were sold them and telling them to give you a refund if the sellers are still in the same place.

it makes me sick that they are still preying on people like this, I hope you all manage to get your money back xx

I don't think, based on what I read here, that it is a coincidence that so many of them are using the same tactics to sell. I think that the head honchos know exactly what they are doing. I've been employed by sketchy business' before and I did not stick around with them for long! It's really disheartening!

I fell for this when I was shopping for shampoo for my dog at Walmart. The sales person startled me a bit and was saying sorry didn't want to miss you but we are promoting this product as seen in magazines and handed me the bag. I had thought it was free so said thank you, but found out that it wasn't. So that made me feel pressured into buying the product knowing that I wouldn't even use it. I guess I was just caught off guard and couldn't think right. i knew I should've just said no but felt bad for the guy, when he was like oh I don't want to get kicked out trying to sell this and started lowering his voice.

I live in Toronto Canada and saw two ladies on the street selling this. I was curious about the bags and they told me it was Makeup Essentials a brand from Zealand that they were trying to get started in Canada she was selling a duo for $20.00 dollars. I did not wear makeup but wanted makeup as I want to look for better work and want to look polished, so I told the lady that if I like the colours that I would buy them since I got to test them on my hand. They were shiny eyeshadows, which I like, one was the Mystic Eyes with shiny eyeshadows and eyeliner the other larger palette were shiny eyeshadows with blushes and lip glosses. I agreed to buy it but what really turned me off was the way she duped me out of an extra $2.00 dollars she said it was "for taxes to keep things going in Canada" I smirked it was completely classless but I thought whatever and gave her two extra dollars. I like my makeup to be noticeable enough without looking like it's too much so these subtle pigments are good for me and when it's shiny like it is you have to go subtle for a daytime look. Yes, the brand is made in China it says so on the back of the package (what isn't made in China?). I have seen good reviews for this brand and I have also seen bad or so so reviews for this brand it depends on what you like. Can anyone really notice if the makeup you're wearing is cheap or expensive? I don't think so not as long as it looks good quality matters but not everyone can afford it. Mind you I have seen expensive makeup that looks garish and I would never buy it. I promise that I am not a sales associate for Makeup Essentials these are my honest opinions that I wanted to share with you. On a side note I have worked in Retail before, I like working in retail but unfortunately not all business' are completely honest it's one of those things that I hate about retail, of course there are other industries that employ the same tactics too. It's like you can't win. The important thing is to stand your ground when making a purchase you don't have to buy it right away you have the right to think it over.

These 2 young people just walked right into the school I work at and asked for all the women to come and have a talk about the make up brand. I told them that it's a school therefore it's class time so I'm the only person you can speak to. She kept saying 'she doesn't want anyone to miss out.' I'm thinking wait... sorry I'll just go and get the teachers and let the children wait, right? Anyway, very good sales pitch, clearly been practicing at night in front of the mirror. 'It's coming to Selfridges' 'We're advertised in Cosmo' etc etc. and offered me the Highlighter for £29 and then the rest for free. To be fair, I'm a bit of a make up snob. It could be a top make up brand but I wasn't going to hand over my money until I knew. So I took a picture and then as soon as they left I've had a nice google and it's brought me here. I'll be forever happy that I didn't pass this information onto any of the other staff. I have her number so I might drop her a nice text.

I love makeup. And my mother knows this. So naturally when the guy mentions BareMinerals, my mom was all in since she knows it's a good brand. Sadly she fell for it and bought it for $20. I opened it up and right away compared it to a kids makeup palette. Nothing like BareMinerals. So I decided to search it up. I came across this and MANY other websites that say this is a scam. Let's just say my mom was very upset when I told her we were scammed. I would have asked to look at a palette but I wasn't there to decipher whether this was real.

This woman came up to my car trying to sell one of their "promotional bags". I didnt even let her get 10 words of bullshit in, but i did still bought it because i honestly didnt want to sit through 20 minutes of her trying to convince me to buy it. (I have a polite Canadian nature to me, so i feel you on that.) . The bag came with primer, blush, lipgloss, eyeshadow, blahblahblah. Typical things you'd find in any drug store pallet. I wasn't really angry because i only spent $20 on it which probably would have been the same amount i would have spent in Wal-Mart or some other chain store. The only thing i opened was the primer, because i'm BIG on my primer. I wasn't really pleased because it was silicone based (water bases work better on my skin type) and when i tested it on my hand, it legitimately felt like warming lubricant. Like, it was uncanny. It also felt very greasy and oily, LITERALLY just like the warming lube i have at my boyfriend's house. I'm pretty convinced they just put some off brand lubricant in a primer bottle. I haven't broken into any of the shadows or blushes, but i can tell they're very much drugstore quality. Again, not really mad that i spent $20 on it, but still totally not worth anything more.

I just had a sales rep stop by my work to try to sell us the makeup bags. Again, he had told me that if I bought the "high end makeup palette" I would receive the lip color palette and a lip color/eyeshadow combo palette for free, a $140 value. I asked if I could do my research first and order online and he told me I could but then I wouldn't get a deal because his offer is only because he is face to face. I asked him if it was natural and he said "yes I believe so" but with a quick google search I realized that isn't true at all. I typically use brands like Laura Mercier, makeup forever, tarte, smash box etc. and could tell just by touching the eyeshadow that it does not even come close to compare. Don't fall into the trap people! Thanks for the blog post =)

First of all you obviously work for Mary K, or some other make up brand by the negatice criticism. The supposed "expensive brands" you buy in department stores are being sold at 200% retail mark up, so what do you think their wholesale/manufacturing cost is? Its .50 cents to $20 dollars but you pray zombie retail prices. And Makeover Essentials is MANUFACTURED by the SAME COMPANY as Mac and Estee Lauder. So Ms. know it all, WHO is giving you the better deal?

First of all, no I dont work for ANY makeup company. Being from the UK I'm almost certain we don't get Mary Kay here, but thats besides the point. This is an honest article based on fact in order to warn others of the shady tactics used by a brand that quite frankly scams people- not some cheap attempt to shoot down any competition. Secondly high end makeup may be overpriced compared with their manufacturing prices, but there's a reason people buy it. Good brands have years of research and experience under their belt, you know when you buy it that the quality will be good and that the ingredients will be safe and high quality. Based on their rubbish ingredients and the fact that they're made in China, Makeover essentials also have a ridiculous mark up price compared with manufacturing costs, but unlike good brands their products don't even perform well.

I don't claim to be 'ms know it all' I have simply written about my experience based on the facts. Look how many other people have commented on this post all with the same experiences, the products are rubbish and the sales tactics are shady. I can understand that you work for the company and that posts like this arent doing your sales any favours, but whats written here is the truth. Other people that have actually worked for the company have come forward and commented here stating they were asked to lie and hide goodie bags, and mislead customers into believing the brand is better than it is. If you want to believe that what you're doing is ok go ahead, but I don't. And clearly a lot of others here dont either.

This happened to me today! I live in the US (New Jersey) I work at a doctor's office. The rep came in and offered me these horrible products. I knew what she was telling me was too good to be true. Thanks to this blog, I'm glad I was not fooled into spending the money and now I don't feel bad for sending her off!

This just happened to me today in the US (New Jersey). I bought the $20 gift bag, knowing full well it had to be cheap stuff. Actually now reading some reviews that give it a C-plus, and that's good enough for me. I'll check back here after I use it for a week or two.I'm just too lazy even to go to Walgreens, so the salesgirl got lucky with me.

Hey guys, just to clear some facts it seems like you guys have an issue with the ill-trained reps of the marketing firms, not the makeup itself...

Let me clear up a few things...

1) Stop comparing to.... The proper lines reps should use is it's MANUFACTURED by the same people that make Mac, Estee Lauter, and Bobbi Brown... Happy to put that to sleep. So if you have something to say about pigmentation try the product again close to those other brands. Don't just listen to bloggers.

2) Wonder why its so cheap (and not just following what one person states) The company spends $0 in overhead and marketing techniques such as Commercials, billboards, youtube ads, etc.. all strategies that your favorite brand spends MILLIONS on and HAS TO attach it to its price, plus the store inventory cost... So your actually getting the real deal as opposed to getting duped every time you go into Macy's.. With millions of dollars saved the company can advertise this way all year around in which it decides to do and is brilliant on a business facet, considering its a win-win for consumer on cost and company on exposure.

3) The reps are the commercials... There are a bunch of food commercials that I change every time I see, instead of trying to crush a brand, go on to the next one and find your liking.

Oh and thanks for the info on Estee Lauter but where are they manufactured? Find that out first... Bunch of parent companies in your biggest industries hold hierarchy to other brands and still use sweat shops to manufacturer their stuff. FDA approved on all hypoallergenic and parabin testing and they use the same research as most other brands, Just stop hating a brand you think you know about and rather instead promote your favorite brand. Ok I don't think anything else needs to be said. Ladies... Check out the stuff for yourself, hence; that's why they market the way we do. Have a great day.

P.S. The word scam is more appropriate if you were sold expired product or used material, you were "sold" and with no one back home to confirm your purchase you find the comfort of misery on this page. I TOTALLY wasn't going to even pay attention to this blog until I read that you had this much to say about a product you did NOT purchase.

I didnt need to purchase the products, she spent a long time talking through everything and I swatched them, that was all I needed to see to know that the pigmentation and quality was poor. There is also the issue of them containing cheap filler ingredients, which again I did not need to purchase in order to know that this was an issue as this information is readily available online.

What you're essentially saying is because the products are manufactured (supposedly) in the same factory as bigger brands this makes them comparable in quality? Sorry but this isn't true! The quality of a brand's products is based on it's ingredients, formulation and years of research- not where they were made. Just because something is produced in the same factory doesnt mean they're associated whatsoever, as you can tell from the Estee Lauder page I linked above, Makeover Essentials is not anything to do with the Estee Lauder brand or any of it's related companies.

This is an issue with the sales reps, but the makeup itself is also massively overpriced and performs poorly- I have cheap drugstore products that perform a lot better and cost a tiny fraction of the price. You say to compare the pigmentation with the other brands mentioned, all it takes is a search of reviews online to show that the quality is in no way comparable. Bobbi Brown, Mac and Estee Lauder products are full of pigment with smooth, buttery formulas- Makover Essentials products are nothing like this!

The issue I have is that low quality products with cheap ingredients are being sold for a hugely inflated prices by sales reps who will tell every lie necessary to get people to part with their money.The fact that Makeover Essentials saves millions in advertising makes it even worse really, because these savings are not being passed onto the customer and they're still being sold at the same expensive prices that you'd pay for better brands.

I'm in no way trying to 'crush' anyone, I don't have anything to gain from writing this but other people have something to lose- their hard earned money. If you've read any of my blog you'll know that in general I dont write negative reviews. But when this happened to me it shocked me, and if I hadnt known better that sales rep would have happily taken my money for a products that were in no way worth the price. And the 'scam' (defined as 'a dishonest scheme or confidence game often used for quick profit') refers to reps lying to customers about having limited goodie bags left, when in reality they have just been hidden out of sight. This tactic has been confirmed by someone who used to work for the brand.

And I completely agree, don't just listen to bloggers. Test the products yourself and do your own research, all I can say is many others have had the same experience as I did as you'll see from the comments

Thanks for all of your comments on this post, I'm glad it helped some of you make a more informed decision and realise the kind of tactics used by Makeover Essentials. I'm now closing the comments on this post, as I dont want to be constantly battling with the sales reps who are annoyed that this is affecting their profits. As I mentioned in my comment above, I have nothing to gain from writing this- it was written in order to stop people getting duped and lied to.

It's over two years since I wrote this and I still stand by everything written here. It makes me sad when people profit from dishonesty. They're still not sold in department stores (even though they've been telling people since early 2013 that they will be) and opposed to what the sales reps say they're not associated or comparable with any of the high end brands mentioned. You can find this information yourself with a quick google search. As I said in the blog post, a genuine brand doesnt need to lie to you in order to get you to buy their stuff.

I'll leave you with a few other reviews I found from around the web, who all seem to have similar thoughts to me